The Candlekeep Annex: RPed Baldur’s Gate No and Low Reload Adventures

[WiseGrimwald]

I don't know anything about Hexxat I'm afraid.

A quick update on Theo who now has rep of 20. We are about to go shopping and will then visit the Iron Throne.

 

[Serg_BlackStrider]

After reading your comment, I considered buying SoD. But then I spoke to Hexxat for 5 seconds and the urge died faster than a kobold in a Horrid Wilting

Pretty much my reaction when I saw the EE. I've bought both BG1/2-EE and SoD but after I've launched them it took me a little longer than 5 seconds but not too much longer to close'em and never return/look back. Reading our no-reload threads where people run through SoD doesn't help either. My heart is always with the originals.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Pretty much my reaction when I saw the EE. I've bought both BG1/2-EE and SoD but after I've launched them it took me a little longer than 5 seconds but not too much longer to close'em and never return/look back. Reading our no-reload threads where people run through SoD doesn't help either. My heart is always with the originals.

As a Mac user the EE is my only option. That's why I use it. If I had a Windows machine I'd probably be using the originals.

At the very least I'd appreciate a mod that would remove the EE NPCs. I may try Ctrl-Ying them on sight. That should work for all of them, with the exception of Neera.

 

[Alesia_BH]

I don't know anything about Hexxat

Lucky you

 

[Serg_BlackStrider]

As a Mac user the EE is my only option. That's why I use it. If I had a Windows machine I'd probably be using the originals.

This is sad. I hope, there are some ways to overcome this (something like that) but it could be too tiresome to be worth it.

 

[Alesia_BH]

This is sad. I hope, there are some ways to overcome this (something like that) but it could be too tiresome to be worth it.

Interesting! That's worth considering, at least. Thanks!

I'm considering picking up a low end windows machine, actually. That would allow me to play the originals, and Fallout 1 & 2. It's not like I'd need a powerhouse machine to run any of those. Surely something super cheap would do the job.

Now that I think of it, a MacBook 12" (2017) would be perfect. It's light, compact, and it has an excellent trackpad for IE games- I used one for many of my runs. It's a Mac, obviously, but it uses an Intel processor so it can run Windows. I may do that.

 

[Serg_BlackStrider]

Make sense! You definitely don't need Cray supercomputer to run our favorite games
Even though I've upgraded my PC last month to Intel's 13th generation CPU and NVidia RTX 4070 Ti Super videocard (mainly for BG3), my old PCs on i7-870 (was introduced in Q2/2010) or i5-3470/i7-3770 (launched in June 2012) with GTX 1080 where perfectly capable to run all my games (BG, Pillars, Divinity, Pathfinder, Dragon Age, Skyrim etc.) without any issues or inconviniences.

 

[Antimatter]

The only unbiased thing I can say is that for someone who generally plays the game solo, NPC personalities should not matter, like, at all. Enemies, combat, items, and probably quest stories (this one should be taken with a grain of salt as you've beaten the game XXth times, or maybe XXXth even)--they matter. From what I've gathered, people like Grond0 and semiticgoddess, for example, would play through SoD just for the content/challenges, not personalities.

Another unbiased thing is that SoD was written by completely different people than BG1/BG2 EE NPCs, and that was done much later. SoD has a controversy about it, sure, but that is related to the US politics of 2016.

 

[Alesia_BH]

The only unbiased thing I can say is that for someone who generally plays the game solo, NPC personalities should not matter, like, at all.

I agree. They shouldn’t matter. They shouldn’t matter at all. And if they didn’t waylay me, like Neera, or draw me into insufferable conversations, like Rasaad and Hexxat, they wouldn’t. As is they are an intrusion and an annoyance.

Some of the original NPCs initiated conversations with the PC, true, but none of them were as intrusive as the average EE NPC. Some, like, Neera, are ridiculous. No, Neera, I don’t want to go to your infernal forest. And no, EE team, I don’t want your new content shoved down my throat in the midst of a classic adventure, just because you’re proud of yourselves and want to prove that you can create.

Do you know the Star Wars movies? Do you remember when George Lucas re-released A New Hope, but with inane CGI sequences tossed in? A lot of people were miffed, and I don’t blame them. Cluttering up a classic with gratuitous low end shtick is a terrible idea. That’s how I feel about the EE NPCs, and their associated content. You don’t despoil a classic just because you can.

If people enjoy the EE content, then great: I’m happy for them. I’d just prefer to have the option of playing without it. If the 1977 edition of A New Hope were entirely supplanted by the 1997 version, a lot of people would be furious, and rightly so: the 1997 version is a lesser work of art. Similarly, the BG 1&2 Enhanced Editions are lesser works of art in comparison to the originals. All I want is a mod that removes the added content.

 

[JustKneller]

Thank you for your perspective, Wise.

After reading your comment I considered buying SoD. But then I spoke to Hexxat for 5 seconds and the urge died faster than a kobold in a Horrid Wilting

I think it's a smart move. I hear more often from classic BG gamers that it really downgrades the overall experience. After my experience with Fallout 4, I've been even more discerning about games (particularly in franchises I like) for the sake of not ruining something I like. Sometimes missing out is the better option.

 

[JustKneller]

If the 1977 edition of A New Hope were entirely supplanted by the 1997 version, a lot of people would be furious, and rightly so: the 1997 version is a lesser work of art. Similarly, the BG 1&2 Enhanced Editions are lesser works of art in comparison to the originals. All I want is a mod that removes the added content.

Rightly said. Of course, I prefer the classic 1958 Star Wars when it was called The Hidden Fortress by Akira Kurosawa.

Ok, I'm done stirring the pot!

 

[WiseGrimwald]

Whilst I have done the Neera quest a few times, nowadays I just avoid her. It's easy enough to do! It's also easy to avoid Baeloth.

It's also easy enough to avoid Dorn if you don't like him. Just ignore him in the FAI!

If you don't like EE characters, just avoid them. Whilst I am not fond of Neera, I quite like to have Dorn in the party for a limited time.

The only NPC that I really don't like is Jaheira and she was in the original!

 

[Alesia_BH]

Whilst I have done the Neera quest a few times, nowadays I just avoid her. It's easy enough to do!

Noted!

In BG2 Neera traps you in a cutscene in the Bridge District and then waylays you when you transition to another area. It’s super obnoxious.

In BG1 you can avoid her, but then you miss out on the gem bag. You could CLUA one in, but I prefer not to do that.

Rashad and Hexxat both initiate dialogue in places where they’re hard to avoid. You can click through them quickly enough, especially Rasaad in BG1, but it’s still an annoyance.

I agree that Baeloth and Dorn can be bypassed without much effort.

All told, navigating around them, to the extent that that’s possible is, of course, an option. That’s exactly what I do. They’re still annoying though, and it’s annoying that I have to avoid them in the first place. It would be better if they didn’t exist.

Surely someone can take them out of the game. It’s not too much to ask.

 

[m7600]

@Alesia_BH maybe there's an emulator for Mac that lets you play the originals? I don't know anything about Mac, but I can run the original games as well as the EEs on Ubuntu with the Wine emulator. I would be surprised if there's no such option for Mac.

 

[m7600]

I haven't checked GemRB in a long time, but it seems that they added Mac support last year:

GemRB Homepage

GemRB is a portable open-source implementation of Bioware’s Infinity Engine

gemrb.github.io

 

[Alesia_BH]

I haven't checked GemRB in a long time, but it seems that they added Mac support last year:

GemRB Homepage

GemRB is a portable open-source implementation of Bioware’s Infinity Engine

gemrb.github.io

Thanks!

Serg mentioned that earlier in the thread. I may give it a try. I just wonder whether I’ll be able to install mods with that configuration. I can’t play without SCS and Ascension

 

[JustKneller]

In BG2 Neera traps you in a cutscene in the Bridge District and then waylays you when you transition to another area. It’s super obnoxious.

You have been waylaid by EE content and must defend yourself.

 

[OrlonKronsteen]

I'm considering picking up a low end windows machine, actually. That would allow me to play the originals, and Fallout 1 & 2. It's not like I'd need a powerhouse machine to run any of those. Surely something super cheap would do the job.

I think you should pick up a high-end Windows gaming rig, because reasons, and also so I can live through you vicariously. There's a rule of thumb about what percentage of your yearly earnings should go towards an engagement ring. Maybe the same should apply to gaming machines? How does 10 months salary sound as a formula?

Surely someone can take them out of the game. It’s not too much to ask.

There is a mod for that. Not sure how it works with 2.6?

You have been waylaid by EE content and must defend yourself.

You, sir, are a provocateur!

 

[Alesia_BH]

You have been waylaid by EE content and must defend yourself.

Me when I’m expecting Suna Seni and get Neera instead

Spoiler

 

[Alesia_BH]

There is a mod for that. Not sure how it works with 2.6?

Awesome. Congrats on becoming my new best friend